Laura VanderDrift Machia of Syracuse University will present “With a little help from my friends: The effects of need fulfillment outside of the relationship” at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 21, in Schroder Hall, room 244.

The event is free and open to the public.

Machia will discuss whether or not a relationship is in danger if one of the partners seeks to have psychological needs fulfilled from sources other than the romantic partner.

An associate professor of psychology, Machia researches inter- and intra-personal dynamics of close relationships. She examines predictors of relationship outcomes, most notably dissolution behaviors and health outcomes. Her work has been published in journals such as Health Psychology, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Personal Relationships.

The talk is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences Interdisciplinary Initiative and the ISU Interdisciplinary Research Group on Personal Relationships with assistance from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, the Department of Psychology, the School of Communication, the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, and the College of Applied Science and Technology.

For special accommodations or questions, contact Professor Susan Sprecher at sprecher@ilstu.edu.